Disclaimer: I do not own Hakuouki or the two characters I use.
Ibuki was just passing through when he heard a passerby say the name Kondo Isumi. Spinning around he ran back to the speaker.
"Were you just talking about Kondo-san?" he asked adding the suffix out of habit.
The young women looked at him strangely,
"You mean you haven't heard? Kondo Isumi surrendered and then was found guilty of killing Sakamoto Ryoma-san and is going to be executed today. If you hurry you may be able to watch!" Ibuki reeled back in shock, that couldn't be right, they had to be joking. Either way he had to see for himself.
"Where?" he asked still grappling with the idea.
"Up at Itabashi." She said still eyeing him strangely.
"Thanks" he said turning and sprinting toward Itabashi. He arrived just as the sun began to sink low in the sky. He bent over and panted trying to catch his breath then began to push through the assembled crowd. Shoving past one last person he reached the fence around the execution area and saw exactly what he was dreading.
In the enclosure knelt Kondo-san dressed in a white yukata with someone holding a katana at his neck, awaiting a signal. Ibuki stared in a sort of shocked disbelief and horror as Kondo-san scanned the crowd and then he saw Ibuki and the two locked eyes and Kondo gave a small, sad and barely there smile. At that exact moment a gong was hit giving off the signal the executioner was waiting for and the blade at Kondo-san's neck swung back then forward in a silver arch and then in what seemed to be an eternity his smile froze on his face and his head began to fall sideways. It fell just as slowly, tumbling over once before hitting the ground with a muffled thud. Then time seemed to catch up and Ibuki became aware of a voice screaming.
"NO! KONDO-SAN!" slowly he became aware that the voice was his own and that he was sobbing. After a while the crowd dispersed and the sun set but he simply stood there, hands griping the bamboo of the fence then slowly sliding to his knees when his legs gave out. He stayed there all night and then when the sun finally rose he slowly stood and walked away towards the rising sun. Just at the edge of the town he turned and looked back one last time smiling a faint sad smile he whispered something before turning away
"Goodbye Kondo-san…"